Atomic-precision control of plasmon-induced single-molecule switching in a metal-semiconductor nanojunction.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39112448.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-51000-w and PMC identifier 11306799.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Atomic-scale control of photochemistry facilitates extreme miniaturisation of optoelectronic devices. Localised surface plasmons, which provide strong confinement and enhancement of electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale, secure a route to achieve sub-nanoscale reaction control. Such local plasmon-induced photochemistry has been realised only in metallic structures so far. Here we demonstrate controlled plasmon-induced single-molecule switching of peryleneanhydride on a silicon surface. Using a plasmon-resonant tip in low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy, we can selectively induce the dissociation of the O-Si bonds between the molecule and surface, resulting in reversible switching between two configurations within the nanojunction. The switching rate can be controlled by changing the tip height with 0.1-Å precision. Furthermore, the plasmon-induced reactivity can be modified by chemical substitution within the molecule, suggesting the importance of atomic-level design for plasmon-driven optoelectronic devices. Thus, metal-single-molecule-semiconductor junctions may serve as a prominent controllable platform beyond conventional nano-optoelectronics.